Players pretended to be "insulted"

IT was a little fishy how they seemed to be outraged so suddenly on something so minor like being compared to the auto workers union.

Could this be the PA just doing their job? Have they been told by the membership to get the best deal they can THIS YEAR? Last minute posturing before signing on the dotted line?

Ask yourself this question: Why did the NHL players' union, specifically Trevor Linden, seem at the very least neutral following a meeting with the league last Thursday, then appear utterly outraged 24 hours later with key members of the executive committee angrily declaring the season to be over?

Sounds a little strategic, wouldn't you say?

Given that rhetoric and bombast have dominated this entire process but never fail to have people believing it reflects the true state of negotiations, one shouldn't be surprised that the players delivered a staged gloom-and-doom message last Friday.

They then had all their carefully groomed media personnel echo that message over the past three days in the most strident terms possible.

On Friday, the players were simply endeavouring to solicit the league's best offer with another round of chest-thumping.

They know they've lost. They just need an honourable way to save face.

Darcy Tucker - "Then it goes on forever," Tucker said without a trace of hesitation. "Guys have been playing in Europe and will continue to do it. More will go over. We're not taking a cap."

Is that a threat or a promise? Because if the top 400 players aged 25-30 go to europe that will only hurt two things: their own wallets and the jobs of third and forth liners of the european leagues.

Every year the NHL vets spend in europe they diminish their own value, which is the only real bargaining power they have. So what if the NHL looses a couple of hundred players, they are replaced within 5-10 years by players that always have played under a cap and will never question it.

That article by Cox seems to make a lot of sense to me......anyone else?

Might be the first article Cox has ever written that makes some sense...IMO Trevor knows they now have to give in to cost certainty and take the best deal possible, hopefully the owners will give them UFA at around 27-28 yrs old...

Robert Esche - "we won't wouldn't accept a cap, even if it was at 200 million."

Brian McCabe - "we are ready to sit out our whole lives."

Darcy Tucker - "Then it goes on forever," Tucker said without a trace of hesitation. "Guys have been playing in Europe and will continue to do it. More will go over. We're not taking a cap."

There's no way that any of those quotes should ever be taken seriously.

Robert Esche: You'd settle for a 100 million dollar cap, who are you kidding. And not like you'd actually take up a large part of that cap, either.

Brian McCabe: Sit out the rest of your life. Better yet, don't just sit out but quit the NHL, get a real job that requires you to get up early, put in 40+ hours a week for a TON less than what you're making, and only a few weeks off per year.

Darcy Tucker: Then just give up your lifestyle in North America, go play in Europe probably for less than what you're already making.

I can see both sides and I'm probably more pro player than anything, but it's that kind of crap that just infuriates me. When the NHL does start up, and at some point it'll have to, they'll either be a part of it or still on their little picket line going, "We'll sit out the rest of our lives if we have to" and nobody'll be listening.

Tucker's quote doesn't support or go against the NHLPA. He could very well be saying that the PA isn't willing to move forward. It doesn't sound like the idiot comments you get out of McCabe, who really needs to stop talking and revealing to the world what a dumbass he really is.

1-Damien Cox was bang on and I have been thinking the same thing since this happened. Right after the meeting Linden was neutral or cautiously optimistic that progress had been made, then 24 hours later he was saying it is all over. Bluff.

2-Those comments by those players are idiotic and they win points with no one when they talk like that. They are much worse for the union in terms of PR than what guys like Dageneis has said.

Do players even realize how they are alienating fans with all their rhetoric? I want hockey back but if there is no hockey the one saving grace will be that Tucker, McCabe, Esche and many others will be one year closer to retirement. They just don't seem to understand how much harm they are doing to the game and ultimately their own value to the game.

Cox has a good idea for a hybrid system....of course it's a good idea it is the same one I've been trotting out the past few months to get this thing solved! I'm not saying Cox took the idea from me or the others that have proposed similar ideas but it's a deal that makes sense and provides the middle ground. The middle ground of course being the union saving some face and not getting completely crushed as the economics of the game would dictate. The NHLPA executive would seriously have to look at before rejecting it. THey may even have to put it to a vote.

Anyone thinking the NHL will come with just a number and not tieing a soft cap with revenues will be sadly mistaken. The players have already lost this battle and its up there greedy selves to either take what is left, or wait till there is nothing left.

Cox suggests that the league will now suddenly offer much higher payroll threshholds and a luxury tax scheme of some sort.

Does anyone find that even remotely believeable at this stage?

Bettman has said they aren't interested in any flavour of luxury tax, and in the last press conference they did he said they aren't interested in "40, 50, or 60" million dollar payrolls.

So, for the league to suddenly turn around at this point and offer teams the ability to spend $50 million again, and also institute a luxury tax, seems bizarre to me.

not especially bizzare. The article discusses a Cap from 33 million to 40 million. pretty close to what the owners are offering now. With an extremely punitive luxury tax from 40 to 50 not only does it prevent overspending by most teams and levels the spending playing field, it does allow teams that are close to add a player or 2 for a few years while in contention.

This seems like a very reasonable idea from both sides......so obviously it won't work....

It is reasonable.. and it is the last offer.. aside from, I guess, the offer they'll get next year which won't be nearly as pleasant. It's up to the PA to negotiate whatever is put on the table and make it into something.. if they whine and ***** over it (as usual) and let it carry on til next season, I think we'll just have to enjoy hearing their sob stories for another season... it's starting to feel good to watch a bunch of spoiled millionaires continue to shoot themselves in the foot.

Robert Esche - "we won't wouldn't accept a cap, even if it was at 200 million."

Brian McCabe - "we are ready to sit out our whole lives."

Darcy Tucker - "Then it goes on forever," Tucker said without a trace of hesitation. "Guys have been playing in Europe and will continue to do it. More will go over. We're not taking a cap."

Wow the players, really want too make the fans of hockey mad, Time to get find some rotten eggs :beatup:

sorry no link..

Two things~

1-How unified can the PA be when half the membership jumps ship to earn a buck in Europe and leaves the other half (the lower half it seems) to fend for themselves?

2-How do they know Europe will accept NHLers next season? I have a feeling if this thing does extend into next year, European clubs will not be so willing to put an “out” into the contracts. Also, how many more spots are available to NHLers?

Cox suggests that the league will now suddenly offer much higher payroll threshholds and a luxury tax scheme of some sort.

Does anyone find that even remotely believeable at this stage?

Bettman has said they aren't interested in any flavour of luxury tax, and in the last press conference they did he said they aren't interested in "40, 50, or 60" million dollar payrolls.

So, for the league to suddenly turn around at this point and offer teams the ability to spend $50 million again, and also institute a luxury tax, seems bizarre to me.

The league will throw the players some bones to sweeten the deal and allow them to save face. However, a $50 million dollar cap will not be one of them and comes simply from the Cox's fertile imagination.

More labour negotiation nonsense. They will take a cap but it will be closer to 60% of revenues plus is taking a huge pay cut. There'll be hockey in February. If there isn't, the owners will force an agreement down their throats and they'll be playing next February under a less than ideal CBA.

Might be the first article Cox has ever written that makes some sense...IMO Trevor knows they now have to give in to cost certainty and take the best deal possible, hopefully the owners will give them UFA at around 27-28 yrs old...

The lower the UFA the worse it is for the league and the fans. It takes so long and so many resources to develop a player, it would put the whole system in jeapordy to lower the UFA age. A team must feel that it can develop a player and keep him long enough to reap the benefits of his play and the season ticket holder's support. With players playing longer these days, I say RAISE the UFA age to 35!
-HckyFght!

The lower the UFA the worse it is for the league and the fans. It takes so long and so many resources to develop a player, it would put the whole system in jeapordy to lower the UFA age. A team must feel that it can develop a player and keep him long enough to reap the benefits of his play and the season ticket holder's support. With players playing longer these days, I say RAISE the UFA age to 35!
-HckyFght!

I agree with this, minus raising the age to 35. For example, if every team was able to offer the player they want the same contract, why will guys like Lecavalier or Gagne or Tanguay not want to come back to play for the team they grew up supporting? (I used the French Canadian players because they're basically all either Habs or Nords fans.. same is probably true for guys from any province or state) Actually, what am I saying? It benefits my team!! hehe